Iowa City resident Dylan Nice has owned his 822-square-foot, two-bedroom starter home since 2021. Nice said he never filed any claims or had been notified of any issues with his home on Friendly Avenue. A tree service determined the large silver maple in his front yard was "very beautiful and healthy," and not at risk for falling, but recommended pruning it back "to get it up off the house" and installing 25-foot cables on the larger branches that overhang the house.
That's why he was surprised when he received an email with a request from his insurer asking him to make substantial changes to his property. Travelers Insurance used aerial images to scan the house for defects — a growing trend among insurance companies. It noticed that there were tree limbs touching and overhanging the roof of his home.
The company said he needed to remove branches so that the entire roof would be visible from an aerial view in order for his policy to renew June 1. Nice spent $4,000 removing branches, making 80% to 90% of the roof visible from the air. Making the roof completely visible would require removing the tree, which Nice said he could not afford and was unwilling to do.
Travelers decided that wasn't enough and dropped him anyway. That sent Nice scrambling to find another company to insure his Moff t cottage, a term that refers to its builder, Howard F. Moff t, who was known for designing unconventional homes.
"It felt kind of hostile," Nice said. Homeowners insurance rates have soare.